Heat Mat for Plants

Written by julia margaret

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Only the hardiest seedlings will make it into the spring garden. (Martin Poole/Digital Vision/Getty Images)

Give your plants a jump-start on the growing season by starting your seeds indoors in the winter. You'll need a heat mat to germinate the seeds and give the tender seedlings a chance to grow into hardy plants.

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Purpose

Unless you can keep your plant room at 26.6 to 32.2 degrees C at all times, a heat mat is necessary to grow healthy seedlings. Without adequate warmth, seedlings grow spindly and weak in colour.

Heat Mat Features

Heat mats come in all sizes and are available at garden stores, but are much cheaper through some online sources. The electric heat mats are waterproof and the plants sit on top of the mat. If you want to know the exact temperature of the heat mat, purchase a heat mat thermometer.

Location

Your plant heat mat won't do much good if the room temperature is too cold, so it's important to choose a good location for your indoor nursery. A basement, mud room, kitchen or spare room in the house will allow the heat mat to do its job.